


Goodbye Andy

by hannahfanficrobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Gen, Goodbyes, Leaving, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 09:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7751731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahfanficrobron/pseuds/hannahfanficrobron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on the early part of next week, and what I would have happening with Andy and Robert saying goodbye (with Aaron thrown in for good measure!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to really try to get this multi chapter fic done before next weeks episodes, but we will see! Enjoy!

“Now, that’s a view I like.”

“What?” Robert twisted around, seeing Aaron at the bedroom door, eyes sparkling at him. Robert had been trying to get under the bed for the spare blanket, giving Aaron a perfect view of his arse. “Oh, very funny,” Robert said, straightening up.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron asked. Usually he was up for a bit of gentle flirting, especially when Aaron initiated it. Robert threw the blanket on the bed, on top of a spare change of clothes, confusing him further.

“It’s complicated,” Robert said, not wanting to go into it.

“Yeah, you think that’s going to work on me?” Aaron said quickly. Robert sighed heavily. He hadn’t expected that to work in all honesty, but it was still his instant reaction, force of habit. “Talk to me,” Aaron said quietly, earnestly, his hands wrapped around Robert’s arms, stopping him from leaving, though Robert wasn't going to run away from him anyway.

“It’s Andy.”

“They found him?” Aaron had heard that he was on the run from the court, but Robert shook his head. “But…?” Aaron prompted.

“I think I know where he is,” Robert said. “I know where he’d go if he needed to lie low for a few days.”

“Well?” Aaron said, waiting. Robert shook his head, not having the words to describe the location he was going for. On their dads old farm, a place you’d only find if you knew it was there.

“I’m going to find him. Talk to him and find out what the hell is going on.”

“You think he did it?” Aaron asked. “You know he’s capable of shooting someone.”

“Yeah, but Lawrence?” Robert asked with a scowl. “Me, I understand.” Aaron scoffed. “I mean, I don’t like it, obviously, but I get the reason. I don’t understand the reason for Andy to shoot Lawrence. And then running like that from the court, I mean what is he thinking? It‘s like he wants to look guilty.”

“Robert…” Robert stopped his ramble just from the tone in his voice. “I hate myself for what I’m about to say, but with your past I need to ask.”

“No,” Robert said with total honesty. “I did not do this. Or have anything to do with setting Andy up. I had a much easier way of getting him in prison if that’s what I wanted but… he’s my brother.” Robert wasn't offended Aaron asked, surprisingly. He would be deeply hurt if Aaron didn't believe him but that wasn't the case.

“Okay,” Aaron said, immediately accepting his word. “I’m sorry. For asking I mean.”

“I get it,” Robert said, forcing a smile. “Now I’m going to find him.”

“I’ll drive,” Aaron said.

“No, you don’t want to get involved in this,” Robert said. “It’s my family, it’s my problem.”

“Robert, we come as a team now,” Aaron said softly. “You can’t just leave me behind because you think something’s your problem to deal with.” Robert smiled at him, a genuine small smile. “You’re my boyfriend, let me help.” Robert smiled into a deep kiss, keeping his hands pressed against Aaron’s chest, enjoying the feeling of him.

“Grab your keys,” Robert said when they parted. Aaron grinned, going downstairs to his car, Robert in close pursuit. 


	2. Chapter 2

 

They’d not spoken in the car, Robert just giving Aaron directions every now and then. “Isn't this private?” Aaron asked.

“What, you think Moira’ll throw you off her land?” Robert asked with a grin. Aaron had to smile too at that mental image. “Turn left.”

“There is no left.”

“Down the mud track.”

Aaron cursed under his breath. “You’ll be the one washing my car,” he grumbled, doing as Robert said.

“Calm down, it’s August, it’s dry,” Robert said. Then they couldn’t talk much, the bumpy track shaking them around in the car. “Stop over the top of this ridge,” he added. Aaron did, suddenly seeing what Robert had been after. A rundown… well, it looked like a shed. But it had the advantage that you couldn’t see it until you were right on top of it.

“Dad built it for us, when we were kids,” Robert said, looking at it. “I think he thought us playing together would make us get along.”

“Worked then,” Aaron said sarcastically. Robert’s lips tilted into a slightly rueful smile.

“Shouldn’t still be standing,” Robert said. “I’ll see if he’s here.”

“I’m coming,” Aaron said.

“No…”

“Robert, I know he’s your brother, but he’s on the run from an attempted murder charge, and I know he would have killed you if he thought he could get away with it,” Aaron said. “You’re not walking in there on your own.” Robert couldn’t really argue with that logic as they both got out of the car.

“Andy,” Robert called as he opened the door of the shed, looking around. “I’m pretty sure you’re here.” Both men stilled, listening, then they heard a shuffling from the other room.

“Come on your own?” Andy asked, clearly tired and looking a little beaten in his very rumpled court suit.

“Just Aaron,” Robert said.

“No police? Bet you’d love to cart me off back there.”

“Then why stay here?” Robert asked. “You knew I’d look for you.”

“I’ve got nowhere else to go, Robert,” Andy said, sitting on the ground, shaking his head. “I’ve been left with nothing, no money, no home, not even my freedom! I can’t go and talk to my own family.”

“Don’t worry, you’re still the golden boy.” Andy lunged for him, hands around Robert’s neck wanting to throttle him.

“Stop it!” Aaron shouted, speaking for the first time, trying to yank Andy away. Between the two of them, they managed it, but Andy had a lot of strength to him. Robert coughed heavily, heaving air back into his lungs. “You think that’s going to help?!” Aaron said.

“Now you’ve done your gloating, you can leave,” Andy said. He collapsed back on the ground, looking completely defeated.

“I’m not here to gloat,” Robert said bitterly. The pressure on his neck wasn’t making him in a particularly friendly mood. “Believe it or not, I’m here to help you. And find out what the hell is going on.”

Neither of the Sugden brothers looked like elaborating further, so Aaron stepped in. “Did you shoot Lawrence?”

“No!” Andy shouted.

“A bit louder, I don’t think Moira quite heard you,” Robert said. “You’re hiding remember.”

“No, I didn’t shoot him. I think Lachlan did.”

“What?” Robert asked in disbelief. “He’s a teenager.”

“Chrissie’s setting me up,” he added. “I know that much.”

“Why?” Robert asked slowly, not denying the possibility.

“I slept with Bernice.” Both Sugdens looked at Aaron who’d started laughing to himself under his breath.

“Oh, Chrissie can pick ‘em, can’t she?” Aaron said, unable to stop the amused glint in his eyes, even when Robert glared at him.

“So… the crystal clear example I’d given you, that Chrissie gets really pissed off when you cheat on her… you just ignored that?”

“It was… sort of an accident,” Andy said with a shrug. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“No, you never do when you cheat,” Robert said, very condescendingly. Even as an adult, he loved it when Andy fell short of the ideal everyone seemed to have of him. “Just happens, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I slept with her once, you had a six month affair with him…” Andy pointed at Aaron forcefully “…while married to Chrissie, it’s completely different,” he snapped, well and truly annoyed.

“Yeah, well,” Robert said with a shrug. “At least I threw my marriage away for someone I loved, not just a quick screw.” Aaron and Robert locked eyes, and Robert swallowed when he saw Aaron’s eyes dip to his lips. God, if only they were alone… No, not the time. They needed to get off the subject of Aaron, because he wasn’t important right now, and it wasted time and energy to get Andy to believe how important Aaron was to him. Robert took a deep breath to calm down.

“Tell me what happened.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the encouragement on this one! I'm including more Aaron interaction than I expect we're going to get on screen, but I couldn't help myself!

  
“Right,” Robert said slowly. “So you’re telling me Lachlan shot his grandfather, and Chrissie decided to pin it on you.”

“I know it sounds mad,” Andy said. “But yes, that’s what I’m saying. How stupid have I got to be to leave the shotgun in my car for two days, waiting for the police to pick me up?”

“No, you’re many things but not stupid,” Robert said.

“Thanks very much.”

“Is Chrissie really this vindictive?” Aaron said to both of them, Andy and Robert staring at him.

“Yes,” they said at once.

“She admitted it,” Andy said. “I went to see her and she told me it was her setting me up. It’s got to be Lachlan who shot him, but I can’t prove it. He’ll never admit it either, not with his mother pulling the strings. I’m going to have to run.”

“Running won’t solve anything,” Robert said. “Look, I’ll pay for the best lawyers for you, Rakesh is clearly useless. Shouldn’t have told you to run in the first place, what kind of an idiot is he?”

“I can’t go to prison,” Andy said, shaking his head. “The evidence is… I can’t spend years there, I’ll go absolutely crazy.”

“I can relate,” Aaron said coldly, feeling limited sympathy for Andy after last year, when he’d spent weeks in prison for Robert’s attempted murder.

“I’ll never see my kids again! By the time I get out, they’ll be grown up. They could even have kids of their own! I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Andy,” Robert said, speaking slowly and clearly. “Do you want to run? Or do you want to stay and fight?”

“Let’s be honest, what exactly is keeping me here?” Andy said. “I miss them, I want to see Jack and Sarah again, and not from the inside of a prison cell.”

“Running isn’t easy,” Robert said. Andy scoffed, like he didn’t want to hear it. “You think I don’t know what it’s like?” Robert said quietly. “Being on the run, unable to come home, no money, nothing to rely on. None of my family ever giving a shit about me, either. At least people care about you. I was gone ten years, how often did dad look for me? Or you? At least Vic messaged me on facebook.”

“That was different.”

“Yeah, I was nineteen. How the hell did dad expect me to survive? A third rate mechanic without a talent for anything except ruining peoples lives. Maybe he just didn’t care.”

“Now is not the time for a trip down memory lane,” Andy said, shrugging it off, though looking at Roberts face, Aaron ached for him.

“I can get you a passport,” Robert said quickly.

“You can?” Aaron asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Robert said. “Do you want it?”

“Yes,” Andy said, not even giving himself time to think about it. “Get me out of this mess.”

“Once you run from this, you know you can’t come back,” Robert said quietly. 

“I’m not getting out of this anyway,” Andy said.

“It’ll be tougher than you ever believe right now,” Aaron said quietly, needing to chip in. He had missed his family so much when he’d been in France.

“Prison will be worse,” Andy said firmly. He turned back to his brother. “Help me, Robert.”

“Okay,” Robert said. “There’s a blanket and a change of clothes in the car. I’ll have it sorted by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Andy said. “I can’t wait that long.”

“Fake passports don’t grow on trees,” Robert said annoyed. “I’m trying to help you here.”

“Why’re you even bothering?” Andy asked. “You hate me. Seriously, why?”

Robert took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Because you’re my brother.”

He turned to Aaron. “I need to go, I need to make a call.” They all left the ramshackle shed, by Aaron’s car, passing Andy the change of clothes and blanket.

“Got any food?”

“No,” Robert said briefly before picking up his phone. He hadn’t thought of that. They were silent while Robert made his phone call.

“Done,” he said a minute or two later. “I’ll have it tomorrow.”

“Just like that?” Aaron asked, narrowing his eyes at Robert.

“Well, it’ll be expensive,” Robert said with a shrug. “But… yeah.” He looked at Aaron. “We should go,” he said, getting into the car.

“Rob, thanks,” Andy said.

“You’re not away yet,” Robert said. “I probably owe you anyway.”

“I did shoot you,” Andy said.

“Yeah, I remember. Keep going on about it and I might change my mind.” But Robert’s lips were twitching in a smile. They both got into the car, driving back to the village.

“So… you can just arrange a passport? Just like that?” Aaron asked, curious.

“A story for another day,” Robert said, effectively closing that conversation. “Not now, okay?” he added, resting a hand on Aaron’s thigh.

“Okay.”


	4. Chapter 4

They were quiet as Aaron followed the track for the second time in two days to Andy’s hiding place. Aaron didn’t know what to say, knowing he would never understand the relationship between the Sugden brothers. He wasn’t even going to try.

“I want to say goodbye to him on my own,” Robert said as Aaron parked the car.

“Sure he won’t try to throttle you again?” Aaron asked.

“No, but I have to,” Robert said. “Stay here.” Robert sealed the request with a kiss and Aaron gave a slight nod, letting Robert go to the shed where Andy was presumably still in hiding. Aaron wasn’t happy about any of this, but then it wasn’t his family. He was incredibly upset that Andy was going to go off with his car. Robert had persuaded him that it was the sensible option last night, giving Andy a few hours before they reported it stolen. Aaron had argued, but it was the most logically solution to get Andy clean away.

“Got the passport?” Andy asked, hearing Robert come into the run down building.

“In the car,” Robert said shortly, hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket. “With some food and a bit of money to get you by.”

“Great,” Andy said sincerely. Both men stood with a few feet in between them, not knowing how to do this, how to say goodbye with so much history between them.

“Are you really leaving?” Robert eventually asked.

“No choice,” Andy said, looking down at the ground. “Your ex wife really is a piece of work.”

Robert couldn’t laugh at the pathetic joke. He had hated Andy for most of his life, so used to the feeling it barely registered any more, but now…

“I’ll make her pay for this,” Robert said. “I promise.”

“Right, and how are you going to do that?” Andy said with disbelief.

“I have my ways,” Robert said with a shrug. Honestly, he’d not thought that far ahead, but he was devious enough to think of something, that he knew. Robert threw him Aaron’s car keys. 

“I’ll stop Aaron from reporting it stolen until this evening. That should give you some time.”

“Why’re you with him?” Andy said, frowning at him. “Hasn’t he been through enough? Without you using him as well.”

“Can’t resist one last dig?”

“No,” Andy said, smiling slightly.

“I love him, and I am not using him. For once,” he added, admitting his relationship history.

“Makes a change,” Andy said. “Look after Diane, won’t you? And Vic.”

“Course I will,” Robert said. They both knew Victoria was the glue that kept their family together through some very rough times. Neither of them knew who moved first, but they found themselves in a tight embrace, one which neither of them let go.

“You’re wasting time,” Robert said, finally parting from him. “Get out of here.” They left the shed, seeing Aaron leaning up against the door of his car, watching them. The three of them were silent as Andy drove off. When they were alone, Robert felt hollow. He’d had quite a life, but one thing had always been a constant. His brother was always going to live in Emmerdale, farming the land, and would always hate him. Of course that would never change, except now it had. He thought Andy would live and die in this village. No more.

“All right?” Aaron asked, watching his boyfriend staring after the car that had vanished out of sight.

“Don’t ever leave me.” 

Aaron looked at him sharply, realising this business with Andy was affecting him more than he’d ever willingly admit. So much had happened between the Sugden brothers, but Robert would miss him, even if he never admitted it. Aaron wasn’t going to promise Robert that, though. They didn’t know what the future would bring and they were two passionate people, who were quick to lash out when things went wrong. Instead, Aaron offered the only thing he had to give. “I love you.” Robert smiled gently, kissing him, letting it be slower and much more tender than they usually did, none of the desperate passion. “But you’re still buying me a new car.” Robert laughed, but didn’t argue as they walked back down to the village together.


End file.
